Human Rhythm Project ready to get loud

The new space of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago.

The new space of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago. (Alex Garcia /Chicago Tribune)

Sid Smith, Special to the Tribune

You might notice an extra zip to the tap-dancing at this year's Global Rhythm concerts; the programs' presenter, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, has reason to feel upbeat and on a roll.

The concerts Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art arrive as construction nears completion on multiple floors of the Fine Arts Building, where the organization's new American Rhythm Center will soon play home to nine companies and serve as nexus for percussive arts nationwide.

And on Dec. 7, Rhythm Project founder and artistic director Lane Alexander will take Chicago troupes and some others for the first all-tap concert ever to grace the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington — a milestone in the history of this bedrock U.S. art.

The showcase, to be put together by Alexander, is certainly overdue.

"Tap remains a highly under-represented American art," said Alexander, a tapper himself and something of a walking encyclopedia of its history. "I sing this song all the time, but we just don't get the play that contemporary dance and ballet do. We're still trying to get one foot in the door. The Kennedy Center is a big step forward."

Back home, construction is moving forward rapidly at the historic Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Administrative offices for the various companies are part of the plan, but the real allure will be the studios, with rehearsal floors made variously of Brazilian cherry and sprung maple, two of them boasting a special treatment ideal for tap called Marley Timestep.

"Most dance floors absorb sound, which is fine for modern and ballet," Alexander explained. "Ours won't absorb it, which is great for foot stompers of all varieties. We want to hear the noise."

The space partially opened this week, but grand opening festivities — including some performance activities — won't occur until the week after Labor Day.

The center was in development for several years, with multiple spaces under consideration. Alexander is fully aware of the historic oomph that the choice of the 1878 Fine Arts structure adds to the package. The building is a legendary home for artists and arts groups, a rich edifice in Chicago history.

"Tap's more than 100 years old, and to have this American art housed in this architectural and cultural treasure is so appropriate," Alexander said. "This is the type of place our art form belongs."

Meanwhile, the Rhythm Project's annual Global Rhythms convention winds up with performances at the MCA this week. Wednesday's opening offers a collection of soloists, including Sam Weber, Derick K. Grant, Domeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Yuji Uragami, a Japanese tapper Alexander first saw last year.

"I literally went back stage, picked him up and said, 'I'm bringing you to Chicago,'" Alexander recalled.

Thursday features such groups as M.A.D.D. Rhythms, the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, FootworKINGz,Japan'sARTN Company and Alexander's own troupe "BAM!" Saturday is a mix of soloists and troupes, including premieres of some works headed to the Kennedy Center. (M.A.D.D. Rhythms, BAM! and Billy Siegenfeld's unclassifiable dance-vocalist Jump Rhythm company are among the troupes on the Kennedy bill.)

For tickets to the concerts at the MCA, 220 E. Chicago Ave.: 312-397-4010 or mcachicago.org

Global Dance at Old Town

The Old Town School of Folk Music is offering a new series on Fridays called the Global Dance Party, a chance for participants to get a little instruction in international styles and then practice to live music. A one-hour class begins at 8:30 p.m., followed by two hours of dancing to live bands and music from disc jockeys.